The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-07
AN OCEAN HORROR.
A Dutch Steamer Bound for Sew
York Sunk i'm ii Collision.
A Wild Scramble for Life, and
Many Passengers Drowned.

tain Taat, left ROTTERDAM saturday morning
for New York with 2l0 passengers on
board, including her passengers and crew.
Before she reached Dover Straits n
dense fog set in; and while steaming
down the narrow channel between
Goodwin Sands and the famous chalk cliffs
of England, at eleven o'clock Saturday night,
the steamer came into collision with coal
steamer, the Rosa Mary, bound for st.
Nazaire The blow was n mortal one
to the Scholten a great hole was torn
in her port quarter, through which the
sea swept with an awful roar. The crew were
at their posts. Captain Taat promptly Or
dered that the boats be lowered, but it was
found that only two were available. The
passengers, most of whom had retired to
their hunks for the night, rushed on deck in
their night gowns and filled the air with
piercing shriekS. Many fell on their knees
and prayed aloud. Others struggled to reach
the boats, interfering with the work Of the
crew. Some procured life belts and leaped
into the freezing sea. Little children cirng
to their mothers, who could do nothing
but shrek with terror. All steam was
for Dover, ten miles distant. When within
four miles OF that city, just twenty minutes
after the accident happened, the steamer
went down, leaving nothing bit the tops OF
her masts visible Of the 2lD persons OH board
100 were reported lost. Eighty were saved
All those who had put on life belts fioated
and were rescued by boats from the steamer
Ebro, of Sunderland, which cruised around
until four o'clock in the morning. Many Of
the rescued lost wives, husbands, brothers and
sisters. The survivors were supplied with
clothes and everything possible was done to
insure their comfort.
Knowing that he was only few miles
from shore, Captain Taat headed the steamer
for the land hoping to reach the coast before
the waters would engulf the ship, but it was
soon evident his hope would not be realized,
and she was nearly four. miles from shore,
and sank within sight of the cliffs.
George Appleby, about % years OF age,
who was passenger from Newcastle to New
York, by way of Rotterdam, and who is
among those rescued has given the follow
ing accouat of his experiences in connection
with the catastrophe:
"There were only nine or ten English on
board the Scholten, one being young lady
named Sarah Louisa God, who belongs to
Tunbridge Wells. l became friends with a
young man namel Stepney, who, like my
self, belongs to Newcastle, and also with
man named Thomas Robson. When we
were about ten miles, / suppose, south
east of Dover, we were all in our hunks
when we heard tremendous crash. | ran
on deck amidst general scramble and l
found that the steamer had struck us on the
port bow. At first it did not seem rs if any
damage had heen done, but in few minutes
we heard an order to lower the boats. The
sailors managed to lower two boats but the
three others could not it seemed, he lowered
At any rate they were not lowered One OF
them would have held nearly hundred per-
sons Miss Gold and did not get chance
to get into either of the boats. A fog had
just left the water and the sea was
fairly calm. There were numbers of
life belts on our vessel and they
were placed where all could reach them:
Miss Gold and l each put one on. About
twenty minutes aftsr the collision our
steamer foundered We stood on deck until
she went down and then We're in the water
together. We could not swim, but we kept
together. Several persons had, like our
selves, put life-belts on and these foated
about in the sea- All the others, with the
went down with the vessel. All who were
rescaed from the sea were wearing life
belts A steamer, whici afterward proved to be
the Ebro, of Sunderland, came closc to the
sunkan vessel, and her boats rescued several
of our passengers and took them on the
steamer. They returned to the wreck and
picked up more, taking them to the
steamer. The vessel that had run into us we
did not see again. Miss Gold and l kept to-
gether, and got drifted toward the rescuinS
steamer. The rope was thrown to us and We
held on until the boat came and picked US up.
The young man Stepney is the son of Il
Wesleyan minister. He states that when the
vessel foundered he was in different part of
the ship from Appieby and Miss Gold, and
proceeds: II ran towards them to tell them
to come to the boat in which was going but
l was stopped by the water, and, Oh
returning, found my boat adrift. l leaped
from the steamer into the sea, and caught
hold Of u boat and was lifted in. Only two
of the boats, think, could be launched.
Our boat went toward a steamer which
turned out to be the Ebro. Our vessel
whistle commenced blowing The other
boat was also full and we passed numbers of
persons in the water. We were taken to the
Ebro and were there very kindly treated.
The Ebro crused about and sent her bo1ts to
pick up as mauy as she could. The cries
as the Scholten disappeared We're heart
rending. In fact all the while we were
cr,,s,.lis in the boat to the Ebro we passed
many persons on either side of us III the
wot : nj "on,d not tole them m o" rondnr
any assistance on account Of our boat being
full was very excited, and could not say
how many were in our boat-thlrty or forty
perhaps. The boatswain of our vessel acted
In u praiseworthy manner. Before the
steamer went down considerable GOODNESS
WIS ulSplayeu, anu tle CaPlaiil etiiu ohiSeiS
remained on the bridge to the last
moment Every one who could procure
a belt put one on. Three was some
thing wrong with the boat got in, for men
had to bail it out with their hats, hands or
anything they had. Before the vessel went
down several people plunged overheard with
belts on. After got on the Ebro the same
boat returned several times looking for
others. / saw several men 90 down. and
too and thpc1 SpnnonI pyh1uStpl and
unable to hold any longer to things they
hal been clingiis to- Children CRYING
on the deck ami the foreigners on board
praying formed a terrible scene, and l
shall never forget it, Just before the col
lision there had been a little nlerriment on
bed when it happened. We did not feel
much of a shock. The officers said something
about being safe with alright compart-
ments, but l think it was slid to prevent
a panic. No doubt several persons were
killed or drowned in their berths when our
vessel was struck. The Ebro, which savcl
us oil, cruised about till nearly o'clock in
the morning, when she came in and anchored
III Dover Bay.
The sea washed ashore this morning at
Deal, little towh eight miles northeast of
Dover, the dead body of the Captain, who
had stood by his ship until she went down
under his feet He was not the regular
was III SC vi IhC
ship during the vacation of Captain
Baker, her regular mastar. He
was on the bridge when the collision took
place, and stood there directing the man.
agement of matters until the ship went down.
A passenger who held two life belts threw
one OF them up to Captain Taat on
the bridge. He took it and then call
ing one of the terror-stricken women, he
passed it down to her and told her to put it
on; she did and was saved. Her name is